Thursday, March 19, 1998
’Bows look to end
skid vs. Bruins
Hawaii hosts UCLA in a pair of
By Cindy Luis
key men's volleyball matches
Star-BulletinIt's UCLA.
It's always important.
This time, it's crucial.
If the University of Hawaii men's volleyball team hopes to host the conference tournament championships at the end of April, beating the Bruins tomorrow night would go a long way toward that goal.
The No. 4 Rainbows haven't defeated No. 2 UCLA since March 1, 1996, a five-match losing streak Hawaii would dearly like to end.
"I think our teams have both changed since the last time we played," Rainbow senior captain Naveh Milo said, referring to the Jan. 9 straight-set loss to the Bruins. "They looked very good in the beginning of the season, very strong. But they've lost two in the last two weeks and I don't think they've got the same confidence they had earlier.
"They're in the same position as us, losing two games we didn't expect to lose. We know that we need to beat UCLA if we want to stay in the playoff (hosting) picture."
Hawaii, Stanford, UCLA and Pepperdine have clinched Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament berths. The top two teams from both the Mountain and Pacific divisions will host first-round matches, with the team having the best overall record after the first round hosting the MPSF semifinals and final.
"Mentally, we are more prepared to play them," senior blocker Sivan Leoni said. "We haven't beaten them in a while and it's time to do it. It's one of the most important games we have."
Tomorrow's crossover match will count in the conference standings. Saturday's match only counts toward the teams' overall records.
Hawaii's 15-11, 15-6, 15-10 loss on Jan. 9 came in the championship of the Outrigger Hotels Invitational, when UH was without Milo (sprained knee) and was using freshman setter Jorge Perez for just the third match.
Now, junior Mason Kuo is setting and Milo is back in the lineup.
Hawaii, however, will be without freshman hitter Jorge Alifonso, who is out for three weeks with mononucleosis. Perez has had the stomach flu, but is listed as probable, as is Andre Breuer, who missed last week's wins over Rutgers-Newark with a broken finger in his left hand.
"It will be real important to have Andre in there," Hawaii coach Mike Wilton said. "To be able to put two guys with some size in the middle would be an important factor against UCLA. One of their great strengths is their middle blockers."
The Rainbows run a trio of blockers -- 6-foot-9 Breuer, 6-7 Dejan Miladinovic and the 6-5 Leoni. Ole Kaven (6-7) will likely replace Alifonso on the outside.
UCLA is third in hitting percentage in the MPSF, behind the two teams who recently defeated the Bruins in straight sets: Pepperdine and Stanford.
Leading the Bruins are a pair of All-Americans -- 6-8 Tom Stillwell and 6-10 Adam Naeve. Stillwell is eighth nationally with a .454 hitting percentage. Naeve, UCLA's kill leader, is 12th nationally with 5.41 kills a game.
Waimanalo's Fred Robins, a Kamehameha Schools product, is again the leading passer for the Bruins. The 6-6 junior averages 2.42 digs per game, ninth-best in the country.
Hawaii and UCLA have had legendary showdowns over the years, meeting 38 times, with the Bruins winning 31. A night after the March 1, 1996 loss, UCLA came back to win a 3-hour, five-game marathon match that ruined Hawaii's unbeaten regular season. The Bruins then defeated UH in the NCAA championship, 3-2.
"There have been some dogfights," Wilton said. "I don't know if we want to beat them more than anyone else. But traditionally, they're ranked high, have won an awful lot of national championships (16), and I suppose, anytime you can beat them, it is an accomplishment.
"I still believe we'll be in the final four, but we need to start doing something about it. We're still in the business of developing ourselves, and there's lots of unrealized potential on this team. We are definitely looking for some consistency, and Friday gives us an opportunity to do something about moving into the upper echelon."
MPSF volleyball
Tomorrow and Saturday: No. 2 UCLA (19-2, 12-2) at No. 4 Hawaii (15-4, 10-2), 7 p.m.
1997-98 UH Men’s Volleyball
Schedule and Recordhttp://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
